VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Virginia Beach EMS is the nation's largest volunteer-based EMS system with more than 600 certified providers. Leaders of the division said they've been in the works for months to properly plan for the vaccine distribution to such a large crew.
The company first to get approval for the vaccine called Pfizer has been in meetings to determine what is next for the distribution process in the United States.
On the priority list of who will receive the treatment include healthcare workers, vulnerable groups, nursing homes, and first responders such as volunteer EMS. Virginia Beach EMS Division Chief, John Bianco, said his team is excited to be on the list of first responders in the state to receive the vaccine.
"It really has come up warp speed. We have planned for pandemics for decades," said Bianco who has been headlining the process of the vaccine for his department for the past several months.
Bianco said he knows his team will be on the list of first responders in Virginia to receive it. He said there are still many details that have yet to be announced by Pfizer and guidance from the Virginia Department of Health.
"In EMS, we have 27,000 dosages -- statewide -- that are set aside in this first round by the Virginia Department of Health, but we have not heard how we get our dosages to give to our healthcare providers in our system, where we get them from, who's going to bring it, and how many dosages there is going to be," said Bianco.
During our interview with Bianco Thursday morning, 13News Now learned Pfizer is allowing departments to put in request forms for the number of dosages needed for their members. Bianco said he will be requesting dosages for more than 1,300 personnel in their EMS Volunteer and EMS Career and patient care providers of the fire department.
VBEMS said the use of the vaccine will not in any way affect the team's response to patients. Bianco said his volunteers will not be required to get the vaccine, but his department will inform his members enough for them to make a personal decision.